Broken
by Pear-Shaped
Summary: The noble life of a princess. It's what every ordinary little girl dreams of right? Thing is, Nagihiko isn't ordinary, nor is he a girl. AU, Rimahiko. BEING COMPLETELY REWRITTEN (because this version makes me cringe)
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! I'm new to the Shugo Chara fandom, so don't be afraid to say something to help me improve the sheer OOCness. This will be Rimahiko mainly, my second favourite couple. But Rima might not show up for a bit, so be patient okay? It's my first multi-chaptered fic as well, so…enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Shugo Chara!**

* * *

**Chapter 1: I'm a Princess? **

It was very fancy. That was all he had to say about the place. Not dazzling, not magnificent, just extremely fancy. A bit too fancy for his liking. Marble pillars rose from the equally shining tiled floor, reaching up to connect with the ceiling. Huge chandeliers laden with dozens of diamonds and gems hung in pretty much every large room. Stain glass windows, depicting each generation of the royal family in turn, decorated the walls of the corridor; and that was just the hallway leading _into_ the place. Statues and sculptures of various scenes from the outside world decorated the winding passages inside the main building. Towering turrets ascended from the ground, the delicate glass spires at their tips caressing the clouds gently.

_Yep, definitely fancy._ It was the only thing he could think of as he entered the palace. Yes, the _palace._ God knows why had he had been requested in England, as he had never been there in his life. Luckily, school had been quite a blessing for the violet haired teen as he had taken English as another language. He glanced over at his mother walking beside him, tall and proud. Well that was what she was usually like. At the moment, she looked quite tense and nervous. A hint of sadness shone through her grey eyes although she covered it all up with a smile. Her slumped shoulders didn't help much in the convincing department though.

When the guards with the odd furry hats had finally reached their destination, he breathed a sigh of relief. Honestly, he was getting quite annoyed with all the strange looks that people had been giving him. Some servants guided them inside to a small chair where a nervous young woman was fidgeting with her lightly curled maroon hair. When she saw them, her tired face broke into a wide smile and she clapped her hands enthusiastically.

"Ah Fujisaki-san, you have finally arrived. We were waiting for you and your daughter." Daughter? He looked up at his mother in confusion. Since when did he have a sister? Unfortunately, she seemed just as confused as he was. The woman seemed to notice this and raised her eyebrows in question. She beckoned to his mother, gesturing to the hallway.

"Fujisaki-san, would you please come this way?" His mother followed the woman down the hallway and around the corner, leaving the boy on his own. They slipped through a door on the left, hushed murmurs filling the hallway. And of course, being the curious teenager that he was, he followed them. He bent over slightly, holding his ear close to the door. The voices became clearer.

"Fujisaki-san, don't you remember the agreement? That's the whole reason you and your child are here!" He knew that it was the voice of the maroon haired woman.

"Of course I do Sanjou-san; how could I forget?" He would never forget the voice of his own mother. But what were the two women talking about?

"But then why did you look so surprised when I attempted to welcome you?"

"Well, you said daughter." Their voices had grown quieter, forcing him to lean even closer, almost to the point of touching the door.

"Yes and?"

"Well I only have a son."

"What?" She shouted, making the boy lean back a little. He rubbed his ears, fearing that he would go deaf. The voices continued, only more softly.

"Yes, a son."

"But that's preposterous! The king and queen have believed from the beginning that their child was a girl!" He frowned in confusion.

"Well what's wrong with a male heir?"

"Absolutely nothing! The point is that their royal majesties believe that they would see their _daughter _today, not a boy!"

"Excuse me?"

"That teenager that you had with you, he should be a female!"

A loud crash sounded from around the corner, catching the bickering females' attention. A mess of purple hair lay sprawled across the carpet, arms and legs protruding limply from it. It lifted its head, revealing the boy's confused face.

"A female?" His mother avoided his gaze, worry and concern etched across her face. Her maroon haired companion just stared at him, carefully scrutinising his features.

"Ah Nagi, this is Sanjou Yukari. Sanjou-san, my son Nagihiko." Said people stared each other down, neither one letting up. Suddenly, a wide smile spread across Yukari's face and she clapped her hands together enthusiastically.

"You must be terribly confused right now. Well you see Fujisaki-kun, you are a foster child."

"Huh?"

"Fujisaki-san isn't your mother."

"Eh?" His expression became more perplexed by the minute, eyes widening with every sentence spoken.

"Well to put it bluntly…you, Fujisaki-kun, are the princess."

"What?" He pretty much yelled out it out, damn near deafening the two older women. But then again, they had done the same thing to him beforehand.

"I can't be the English princess," he began hurriedly. "I'm average, I'm Japanese! And if you haven't noticed, I'm a boy!" Yukari grinned, her delicately manicured fingers clutching at her stomach as she doubled over in laughter.

"Well that's an easy fix! You'll just have to dress as a girl!"

"Wait what?"

* * *

**Um…thanks for reading if you did! Please leave a review on the way out and tell me how I went, what I could improve on, and whether or not I should continue. Correct me on any spelling or grammatical errors, it's the only way I'll improve! No flames please, although constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. Hope you enjoyed it, bye!**

**PS;)**


	2. Tsukiyomi Nadeshiko?

**Hello again. Thanks you for the kind reviews! Also thank you for people who favourited or put this fic on alert:) By the way, Nagi has long hair and this fic is set in a more modern era.  
**_**Emerald Tide: **__Thanks again! I explained the hair thing in my PM so hopefully your received that. You get cookies:)  
__**AuricEspeon: **__Thank you! I'm laughing at him too;D Cookies for you!  
__**Wisteria Blossom: **__Thanks a lot! I'm glad I managed to make you laugh. Here's some cookies:D  
__**asian girl: **__Thanks for the review! Here are some cookies for you [Crispy;)]_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Shugo Chara!**

* * *

Facial powder was dusted all around the room. Discarded dresses and shoes lay scattered across the carpeted floor. A few streaks of eyeliner and lipstick also decorated the various mirrors and swivel chairs scattered around. One of these swivel chairs was currently being attacked by two maids armed with brushes and fabric. Yells of protest resonated around the large room, filling the ears of all those close enough to hear them.

"We're finished, Fujisaki-kun. You can look now." The two maids stepped back from the chair, allowing the cooped up figure inside to stand up. He slowly ambled over to the nearest mirror, shock spreading across his features.

"Is this…me?" He asked, cautiously patting the ponytail his hair had been pulled up into. The first maid smiled sheepishly and chuckled.

"Yep," she exclaimed in satisfaction, twirling a lock of her pink hair around her fingers. "Do you like it?"

The violet haired boy remained silent, simply staring into the mirror and his own reflection. Never in the fifteen years of his life did he expect to see himself in a dress. He was a boy after all. Strangely enough, the long lilac dress looked almost…_natural_ on him. The second maid, who had been grinning before, suddenly stiffened and nudged her pink haired friend.

"Amu, the king and queen are waiting," she muttered in a failed attempt to be subtle. The other maid, Amu presumably, straightened herself up and cleared her throat.

"Fujisaki-kun, Lulu and I will be leaving now. Just head down the corridor and turn left, you should find your bed chamber." He barely noticed, still staring at the mirror in disbelief. They slipped out quietly, disappearing into the vast corridors of the palace.

Nagihiko snapped out of his trance, only to find that the two maids were no longer there. He frowned, having only heard snippets of the instructions they had given him. He exited the room, trying to remember what they had said. When he reached the split in the corridor, he turned right despite the nagging voice inside his head telling him it was the other way.

_It was definitely left. _He sighed inwardly, wishing for the strangely feminine voice to leave him alone. _Left, go left! _Ignoring the urgent tone of the voice, he continued along the candlelit corridor. He grabbed the handle of the nearest door and knocked. A soft yet irritated 'come in' was heard and he slowly pushed open the door.

A girl with flowing blonde hair looked up from the manga she'd been reading, her face completely devoid of emotion. She raised an eyebrow at him, obviously expecting some kind of explanation. Remembering that he was supposed to be a girl, he smiled and chuckled nervously.

"Um, hello," he greeted, attempting a higher voice. "I'm a little lost, could you tell me where the princess' bed chamber is?" The blonde female returned the smile and stood up. She was surprisingly short, not that he would tell her that.

"Go right from this room and keep going straight until you reach a door with a silver handle," she said, poking her head out the door and pointing along the corridor. He bowed his head slightly and thanked her before exiting the room.

The boy opened the door to his chamber, freezing when he saw three other people in there. The first woman was the one he recognised as Yukari Sanjou. The male turned to him, deep blue eyes widening when he saw the 'princess'. The other woman beside him gasped quietly, tears welling up in her eyes when she saw him. Even though he hadn't ever really met the two strangers, he had heard enough about them to know who they were.

"Good morning your majesties," he started hesitantly, just in case his suspicions were incorrect. Luckily, the woman smiled and beckoned for him to come over.

"What name did your foster mum give you?" He inwardly cringed, having not expected the question.

"Uh…"

"Her name is Nadeshiko." He shot a grateful look at Yukari, who winked at him in return. The other woman's smile widened, her arms stretching out to envelop the 'princess' in a warm hug.

"I'm Queen Souko, Nadeshiko. This man is Aruto, the king." Nagihiko smiled awkwardly, trying not to stiffen up and offend the queen.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Queen Souko-san." She let go of him, smiling brightly, and linked arms with Yukari.

"Yukari, I wish to inform the cooks of the dinner plan tonight. Nadeshiko, you can unpack your luggage while you're here. Your mother has already left for Japan by the way." The two women exited, their chatter dying away. The king also exited, but not without friendlily patting his 'daughter' on the shoulder.

"I apologise about Souko, she gets overexcited sometimes." Nagihiko just nodded, wanting nothing more than to be left alone so that he could stop with the pretence. Even for an expert in theatrics like him, acting as someone of the opposite gender was a little much.

A small beeping sound went off in the bag sitting on the desk. So that was where all his stuff had gone. He rummaged through the small bag, fishing out his black phone. A new message popped up on the screen, the sight making his heart ache just that little bit more.

**To: Fujisaki Nagihiko  
From: Yuiki Yaya**

**Where are you Nagi? Yaya's all lonely without Nagi. Tadase and Kairi won't let Yaya eat any candy :( Is Nagi sick? Is that why Nagi hasn't been coming to school? Come back soon Nagi! :P**

That's right. He hadn't told his best friends that he'd gone to England. It suddenly felt stuffy in the room and he wandered around the palace until he found the rooftop gardens. It was pretty cloudy overhead but he didn't really notice. Nagihiko sat against one of the walls bordering the gardens, trying to get some fresh air. He gazed up at the clouds, blinking back the tears threatening to spill over. Nagihiko Fujisaki didn't cry.

It wasn't long before the boy gave into his exhaustion and dozed off. And so he didn't notice another person coming up to join him. Her blonde hair whipped around in the fierce gale as she carefully picked him up and carried him back to his bed. Violet eyes scanned over him, checking for any injuries that he might've gained.

"So you're the lost princess," she murmured softly. She leant over, trying to get a better look at him. He stirred, ochre eyes fluttering open only to meet with an unfamiliar pair of violet irises. The poor boy jumped up, bumping against the other girl's nose. She scowled, clutching at it as the boy stuttered out an apology.

"I-I'm sorry," he exclaimed in his 'Nadeshiko' voice. The other female dismissed it with a wave of her hand and stared at him intently, causing shivers to run up and down his spine. It was definitely intimidating, to say the least. The blonde averted her gaze to the table beside his bed.

"So where have you been hiding this whole time?" It was his turn to stare at her, only with a more confused expression. "You know, where you've been living while the war was going on."

"Oh, in Japan." Truthfully, he didn't have the slightest clue of what she was talking about. She nodded, still watching the bedside table as if it would suddenly jump out at them.

"What's your name?"

"Fujisaki Nadeshiko." The blonde raised an eyebrow at him.

"You're part of the royal family now. Your name is now Tsukiyomi Nadeshiko," she clarified, crossing her arms across her chest. She crossed the room, placing a hand on the doorknob.

"If you need a maid, ring that bell on your table."

"Wait," he called out. She stopped, giving him a strange look. "Who are you?"

A sad smile crept onto her lips. "My name is Utau. Hoshina Utau."

* * *

**How was it? Hope you guys like Nagitau friendship! Yes I know that Aruto and Souko are Ikuto and Utau's parents but it'll make more sense later on, I promise. Also, should everyone use honorifics or not since the majority of the characters will be English? If you can guess the characters who gave Nagi directions and the voice inside his head then you receive a…cupcake? Review please, even if it's not that good chapter. More of a filler really…**


	3. Almost Busted

_**Purity Ruined: **__Thanks so much! Here's…half a cupcake? XD  
__**AuraEsp: **__Thank you for your review. She's sad because…well you'll see;)_

**Only third chapter and I've already got writers block. How sad.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Shugo Chara!**

* * *

The door swung shut with a soft click, leaving Nagihiko alone to collect his thoughts. His hand instinctively crept to his pocket, hands gripping the phone that lay hidden there.

**To: Yuiki Yaya  
From: Fujisaki Nagihiko**

**Yeah, I've got a cold. I'll be back soon.**

A tight knot formed in his throat. Nagihiko didn't lie. Ever. It wasn't in his nature to deceive, unfamiliar to his usual self. He suddenly felt choked up all over again, rushing to the bathroom immediately. It wasn't that he felt sick or something, more of the fact that the thin layer of makeup was starting to irritate him.

A few damp towels and wipes later, his face was back to normal. It looked slightly foreign to him, his bare face. He hadn't seen it in so long. Okay, so it was around an hour but it felt like months.

"Staring at your own reflection? How egotistic." The same petite girl from before was laying towels on his bed, her face twisted into one of disdain.

"Rude," he muttered under his breath. A smug look was plastered across her features, although it quickly became one of confusion.

"Haven't I seen you before?" He froze inwardly, cursing her sharp mind. What was he supposed to say? The boy panicked, having no idea what to do. She raised an eyebrow at him, tapping a foot on the floor impatiently.

"O-Of course not." Her eyes narrowed into slits, almost intimidating him. Almost.

"If you say so." It was clear that she didn't believe him. The blonde approached him, holding out her hand. "Mashiro Rima."

He took it cautiously, as if it was some kind of bomb that would go off as soon as he touched it. "Nagihiko." They shook hands briefly, both of them eyeing the other carefully. She backed out of the large bathroom, nodding politely at him.

"By the way…nice dress." She sniggered as he looked down, only to discover that he was still wearing the light purple dress the maids had forced him into. Before he could explain, another voice piped up from the main room.

"Where's Nadeshiko?" The violet haired boy darted behind the shower curtain, hoping that he wouldn't be seen. Using the gap between the wall and the curtain as a peephole, he peered out to see Rima conversing with Utau.

"Who's Nadeshiko?" Utau rolled her eyes.

"The princess. You know, the occupant for this room?" They began striding towards the bathroom, causing the boy to slip deeper into the shower cubicle.

"She passed by earlier. But as far as I know, there's only some purple haired crossdresser in this room."

"Crossdresser?" The curtain was suddenly moved aside, revealing the purple haired teen cowering in the corner. He bowed his head so that his face wasn't visible, just wanting the earth to swallow him up then and there. Rima's face was still blank, although her amber eyes held a glint of amusement. Utau raised an eyebrow at him.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" She looked up and down his body, effectively unnerving him. "And why the hell are you wearing a dress?"

He shifted nervously, feeling his face heat up in embarrassment. "Um…"

* * *

The two girls advanced along the corridor, smiling innocently at the guards that they passed. They eventually came to the end, where the blonde girl felt around the wall until she found a place where the wall was able to be pushed in, almost like a button. As she pressed it, the wall split apart a little, leaving a gap in the centre of the seemingly plain wall. The two girls took turns entering, the blonde once again pressing yet another hidden button to close the wall. As it shifted almost soundlessly, the darkness consumed the light trying to escape into the passage. The pink haired girl lit up a torch, holding it up and illuminating the corridor.

"Lulu, what do we tell the boss?"

"That she's here," the blonde girl replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"But do we tell him about the princess' situation?" The pink haired girl's companion was about to reply, her mouth half open, when she crashed into the door. The blonde stared down at her with hardened eyes, embarrassed at her partner's clumsiness. The huge double doors loomed before them, beckoning to be opened. Lulu knocked, awaiting the voice that would inevitably follow.

"Who is it?"

"Lulu and Amu."

"Enter." The blonde grabbed her partner's arm, practically dragging her into the room with her. It was fairly well lit, although it was although quite empty. A lone figure sat at one end of the room, midnight blue hair shielding his face.

"The target has arrived," Lulu stated, warily eyeing the figure. It looked up, revealing the face of a young man.

"Anything else?" The blonde shook her head, fidgeting with her dress. The man nodded, leaning back into his chair. "You may leave."

The blonde exited the room, leaving Amu and the man alone. She approached cautiously, trying not to disturb him.

"Boss-"

"It's Ikuto." She gulped and bowed her head.

"Ikuto, what will you do about the target?" He made some kind of grunting sound, which initially scared her. That is, until she realised that he was laughing. She narrowed her eyes, tossing her head. "W-whatever. I didn't really care anyway."

He immediately stopped laughing, although the smirk was still present on his face. The smirk that she hated so much. "I'll take care of her when the need arises. For now…we'll just watch from a distance."

"You're really creeping me out."

"Hmm?"

"I can actually _feel _the smugness radiating from you."

"Whatever."

* * *

"Well you see…" The violet haired boy fidgeted nervously in his position on the floor. It didn't take a genius to know that he was well and truly screwed. The taller blonde raised her other eyebrow.

"Well what?" The boy stared up at the ceiling, as if the answer would magically come to him.

"Dress-fitter." He looked up at the speaker, astonished that it had been Rima. "He has a similar build and appearance to the princess, so they use him to make sure the dresses will fit."

The boy nodded frantically, chuckling nervously. "Yeah, what she said." Utau didn't look entirely convinced but she let the subject go, knowing that she probably wouldn't get an answer.

"Okay," she began, missing Nagihiko's sigh of relief. "I need to go and water the plants outside anyway." With that, she sauntered out of the room. The short blonde stared down at the floor as the sound of Utau's shoes faded away.

"Thank you, Rima." She averted her gaze to the violet haired boy. He had stood up, and so she now had to look up to see his face. "For covering me." The blonde snorted, going back to her cleaning.

"Whatever, I couldn't leave her royal highness when she needed help." The boy froze, taking in the blonde's gleeful expression. "I'm not an idiot. I know it was you who passed by my room earlier."

His jaw unscrewed and hit the floor, a quiet laugh passing her lips as he stared at her retreating figure.

"Don't tell anyone!" He warned, eyes flickering with threat. She merely dismissed his words with a shrug, exiting the room with a smirk present on her face. He sighed and collapsed onto his bed, eyes narrowed in though. Mashiro Rima was an interesting person. She made comments that he wasn't sure were meant to offend or compliment him. And at the same time…she _had _covered for him…

_You need to be more subtle, Nagihiko. _He blinked. The feminine voice was back to haunt him again.

"Are you my conscience or something?" The voice laughed, ringing in his ears.

_Not really a conscience_, the feminine voice said. _I'm not sure what I am really. But you can call me Temari._

* * *

**Ahahaha…don't shoot me. I've got the plot all worked out in my head but I'm having trouble getting it down into something that makes sense…please review? I'd really liked to know how I'm going and where I could improve my writing. I also want to know is people actually read this random story so that I know whether or not to continue. Thanks for reading!**

**PS;)**


	4. Musical Encounter

**Hey peoples! I'm back…  
**_**Wisteria Blossom: **__HI! Thanks you so much:) Have a cookie!  
__**HaibaraAiFan: **__Yay:D Here's a cookie.  
__**Yannami: **__Aww thank you:) Cookie for you!_

**To make things easier, let's just assume that Nagi uses his female voice when needed unless it says otherwise. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Shugo Chara!**

* * *

"Where are we going?"

"Your parents want to see you." Nagihiko nodded, sighing deeply as he remembered the faces of Aruto and Souko. Up until recently, the word 'parents' always gave him a warm feeling. He would see the kind smile that his (foster) mother would always wear, always happy and gentle.

"Are you okay?" He looked up into the golden eyes of the maid, her face contorted into one of concern. He nodded again, giving her a small smile for good measure. It was empty, its usual happiness and warmth missing. If she had caught on, she didn't say anything, instead just continuing to lead the violet haired boy to his new parents. For that, he was quite grateful as his mood was far from cheerful.

The pink haired maid left Nagihiko in a corridor, mentioning something about having to go before running off. There were at least ten doors lining each wall. He knocked the first door hesitantly, hoping against hope that it was the right one. When he had knocked for the fifth time and no one had answered, he opened the door and peered inside. It was empty, just as he had feared. He sighed and moved onto the next door. And so it went on, the violet haired boy becoming increasingly frustrated as he searched for the right door. It came down to the last one. He breathed in, trying to calm himself down before knocking. No answer. He tried again, his hand clenched so tightly that his fingernails cut into his palm.

"Why are you knocking at the closet?" He jumped up, much to the amusement of the person behind him. "Who are you looking for?"

"The king and queen." The familiar face of Yukari Sanjou lit up as she grabbed his arm and dragged him off to another section of the palace.

"The king and queen's bed chamber is near yours. Didn't you know?" He shook his head, a little miffed at the pink haired maid. The maroon haired woman opened the oak door, shoving the boy in. "They're in there."

He thanked her before turning around to face his parents. "Good afternoon," he greeted, a little tense from the preceding events. Thankfully, he had remembered to change back into the purple dress before going with the maid. He didn't need any more complications. "You asked for me?"

Souko sat down on the large bed, patting the spot beside her for him to sit. "You see Nadeshiko," she began, her voice as soft as ever. "We think that maybe…you should improve your image. It would definitely help you in the near future. Wouldn't that be wonderful? A princess of many talents would certainly attract attention."

He was a little suspicious, since her gaze kept shifting from one place to another. What ulterior motives could the seemingly innocent woman be hiding? The coffee haired woman looked back up at him, since he was slightly taller than her, and grinned slyly.

"We basically want you to take up a musical instrument," Aruto exclaimed exasperatedly, giving a pointed look to his wife. "The flute, specifically."

"Why the flute?"

"It's different from the piano. Rima Mashiro will inform you about it," Souko said smugly, as if she had something planned. Perhaps she did; it was hard to tell. "In fact, she's probably waiting for you now."

The boy nodded, taking his leave as the two adults shooed him away. His room was only a few doors away, so it was no trouble finding it. As expected, the short blonde was calmly sitting on his bed, obviously bored from waiting. She looked up as he entered, amber eyes narrowing ever so slightly.

"Her royal highness has finally decided to grace me with her presence," she drawled, sarcasm present in her tone. Her face remained as passive as ever, and quite frankly, he felt quite disturbed. An awkward silence ensued, both teenagers simply staring at each other.

"Excuse me, but you're in the way." The violet haired boy didn't need to look to know who it was. He stepped aside to let the tall blonde through, her arms clutching a rather large basket.

"Sorry Utau." She ignored his apology, instead busying herself with putting away his freshly laundered clothes. She avoided his gaze, pretty much ignoring him as she folded up various dresses and shirts. The blonde hadn't been that cold when he had first met her, so why the sudden change? He frowned at this, crumpling the smooth cream fabric of his dress in slight irritation.

"I'm teaching you the flute," Rima called out suddenly. The other two looked over at her strangely, her only response being a shrug. "Lessons start tomorrow morning at nine. Don't be late."

* * *

"Utau, did Rima tell you where I needed to go?" The blonde shook her head, not once looking up from the mountain of clothes she was folding. Nagihiko briefly wondered why there were so many clothes, especially since he had only been there for a day or two.

"She said something about a garden," Utau mumbled, her tone flat and despondent. The boy sighed in slight exasperation and hurried out the door, determined to find his short teacher before nine o'clock. He hadn't known her for very long, but she seemed like the type to be punctual.

It felt like an age had passed before he had finally found Rima. She was seated at a small table in the centre of the rooftop garden, eyes closed in thought. "You're on time. Good." She reached for the cups on the table, pouring herself some tea. He sat beside her, watching as she sipped the brown tinged liquid before spitting it out. Most of it landed on Nagihiko. He couldn't tell whether or not it was intentional.

"Don't you like tea, Rima?"

"Do you know anything about the flute?" She asked, completely ignoring his question. He stiffened slightly at her sharp tone, ochre eyes darting away from her narrowed ones. He shook his head slowly, her daunting glare bearing down on him. "We better get started then," she said indignantly, thrusting the silver instrument she had concealed under her chair into his hands.

Hours passed, with the petite blonde teaching her student the various keys and music terminology. By lunch time, the basics had been completely drummed into him and his fingers were completely sore from writing down the numerous notes over and over. A coughing noise caught his attention, his gaze temporarily averted to his blonde teacher.

"Good job today," she mumbled, her voice barely above a whisper. He smiled, quite overjoyed that she wasn't being hostile to him.

"Say Rima, where did you learn to play the flute?" Her expression darkened, eyes suddenly becoming downcast.

"Utau taught me about music, and I learned the flute on my own. It was around the same time…that my parents split." A stray tear tumbled down her cheek, though he wiped it away with his sleeve before it could dampen her shirt. Her cheeks gained a very faint pink hue, so pale that it was almost unnoticeable. He was about to wrap his arms around her before coming back to his senses. She may have been more friendlier with him but that didn't mean that she would allow him to hug her. Especially considering that she had made it quite clear that she didn't exactly like him. He settled for patting her back soothingly, making sure to be gentle. She curled up into a ball, blonde tresses shielding her front. Her small frame shook every now and then, but no tears were shed. They stayed like that, simply (secretly) enjoying the other's company while it was there.

* * *

"So what happened?" The short girl looked up at her companion, a little irked by her curiosity.

"Nothing that concerns you," she replied casually, avoiding the older blonde's gaze.

"Oh really?" The pigtailed girl advanced on Rima, placing a hand on her shoulder. She smirked down at her, the expression looking strangely familiar. Rima couldn't place it, filing it away in her mind to deal with at a later date. "I've been seventeen before, I know what kind of thoughts invade your head."

"…you have a sick mind Utau. And if you haven't noticed, Nadeshiko's a girl." The older blonde seemed to remember and stepped back, cheeks puffing out in disappointment. "For someone who's meant to be an adult, you sure are acting childishly about this."

"Twenty one isn't that much off from a teenager," Utau retorted. "And besides, I completely forgot that you were teaching the princess today and not one of the palace musicians again."

At the memory of what had transpired in the garden, a thin smile spread across the younger girl's face. "The princess is very dignified. I respect her," she stated. Utau gave her a peculiar look.

"I thought that you didn't like her."

"I don't. She just…doesn't judge me despite my hostility towards her. I just can't hate her." Utau frowned.

"Why is that?"

The younger blonde looked down at her feet. "I don't know."

* * *

"Don't use your Nadeshiko voice with me."

"Eh?" The blonde exhaled in vexation.

"I know your identity, so you don't have to disguise your voice when it comes to me." Rima walked off without giving the boy a chance to respond. He blinked, before a foreign feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. He shook it off, continuing the wander along the corridors of the palace. His feet came to a stop outside the door he recognised to be Aruto and Souko's.

"…yes, the flute…" The voices were quite muffled, and so he pressed his ear to the door gently. He felt an odd sensation of déjà vu, promptly ignoring it and listening in instead. The two adults he had come to recognise as his parents seemed to be talking to someone over the phone. He only caught snatched of the conversation, although it sounded like they were talking about him.

"That's wonderful! I'm sure she'll be delighted." A quiet click sounded before Souko started babbling excitedly to her husband. Nagihiko leant back from the door, making his way back to his room. What had they been talking about?

* * *

…**don't ask me why I picked the flute. Thought I'd get one more update in because I just restarted school today. Sorry for the delay guys! Thanks for all your support though, I really appreciate it. Review please, it's really motivational.**

**PS;)**


End file.
